Hip-hop gymnastics video gets 400,000 hits

Hip-hop gymnastics video gets 400,000 hits

The unexpected moves, combined with the enthusiastic reaction from the home fans and DeJesus’ teammates Saturday, made the video a must watch for hundreds of thousands and brought an outpouring of positive comments on social media.

The floor exercise is not even DeJesus’ best event; she was an All-American on bars, and she has made only limited floor appearances over her UCLA career.

The performance that was widely shared on social media was her first floor exercise of the season.

DeJesus’ score for Saturday’s routine, a 9.925, tied for third on her team at the meet, trailing two excellent — if less popular online — performances and raising the question of how much colorful moves help or hinder scoring from traditional judges.

“Commentators mostly talk about tumbling because it seems to be more impressive to an audience and it’s easier to spot the deductions in landings, height and form,” said Samantha Peszek, an Olympic silver medalist and a former UCLA teammate of DeJesus’.

[...] most of the time, if the entertainment value is in a floor routine, it can only help their score.